Formal regions are those that are designated by official boundaries, such as cities, states, counties, and countries. For the most part, they are clearly indicated and publicly known.
Functional regions are defined by their connections. For example, the circulation area for a major city newspaper is the functional region of that paper. (This means that there must be a core that extends outward in terms of influence. That influence will diminish over distance. Thus, one could say that, for example, much of Gyeonggi-do is part of the "Seoul region".
Vernacular regions are perceived regions, such as "The South," "The Midwest," or the "Middle East;" they have no formal boundaries but are understood in our mental maps
(taken from Regions: The Final Theme of the Five Themes in Mr. Plouffe's World Geography wikispaces page)
Formal Regions
The examples of formal regions of South Asia can be the countries and the states, provinces, zones, or the territories within those countries. These types would be right below in specifying a country by it's own borders.
INDIA
India consists of twenty eight states and seven union territories. The states are called Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. The union territories are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep. National Capital Territory of Delhi, and Puducherry.
Pakistan
Pakistan consists of four provinces, two administered area, one territory, and one capital territory. The four provinces are called Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Northwest Frontier. The administered areas are called Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the territory is called Federally Admistered Tribal Areas. The capital territory is called Islamabad.
Pakistan
Nepal
Nepal has a long history of regions that have changed their names and sizes. In the 1950s, there used to be thirty-four districts, but today, there are only fourteen so called "zones," that make up Nepal. The zones are called Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, and Seti.
Political Map of Nepal
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is divided into six administrative divisions, which is the most similar to states of the United States, which are called Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet.
Divisions of Bangladesh
Bhutan
There are twenty states states that are in the country of Bhutan, which are known as Samtse, Dagana, Pema-Gatashel, Mongar, Ha, Punakha, Yang-Tse, Chuukha, Zhemgang, Samdrup Jongkhar, Trongsa, Paro, Bumthang, Gasa, Tsirang, Sarpang, Trashigang, Phodrang, Thimpu, and Lhuntse.
Political Map of Bhutan
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, unlike many of the other countries in South Asia, has most of its provinces as names of directions. It has nine provinces that are called, Central, Eastern, North Central, Northern, Western, North Western, Sarabagamua, Southern, and Uva. Since the late 19th century, Sri Lanka had the districts, which is the subcategory of provinces coexist with each of the provinces being a group of districts. The provinces had no administrative function for the country, which may have been the reason for their names to be very basic directions.
Map of Sri Lanka
Maldives
The maldives consists of fifteen groups of islands, which are called atolls. They are called Ihavandhippolhu Atoll, Thiladhunmathi Atoll, Miladhunmadulu Atoll, Maalhosmadulu Atoll, Faadhippolhu Atoll, Male Atoll, Ari Atoll, Nilandhoo Atoll, Kolhumadulu Atoll, Huvadhu Atoll, Addu Atoll, Hadhdhunmathi Atoll, Mulaku Atoll, and also Felidhu Atoll. These names were formed from it's unique culture and language different from any other parts of the world.
An example of functional regions in South Asia can be the use of the frequency use of lights during night in each of the countries, and how much influence the large cities have in forms of electricity and lights in the surrounding regions.
Lights During Night
This map shows the regions where there are the most activities with lights at night. Even though the map is about the regions that gives an output in energy by lights, the amount of electricity and the regions with the large numbers of population can be interpreted the same way. In the cities with large populations, to be able to survive in the conditions, electricity in the form of lights would be needed.
From this satellite image, certain regions with a lot of lights illuminating the region can be seen. The bright colored dots mean the areas with the electrical power of lights and the areas that are dark blue are the regions with little or no electrical lights being used. Certain areas of where the use of electricity in lights is most used can be spotted in Northeast Pakistan, North India, and Southeast India. This map clearly shows the functional regions, in the idea that as people view the regions further and further away from the large yellow and white dots, the color becomes less bold. A prime example of this would be Southeast India. There seems to be many series of bright dots, with areas around it that are smaller but still with a very bold color. As the color is followed up north, the color seems to "weaken" and less bold until there is actually no yellow regions remaining in central India. This can also be found in Northeast Pakstan, where there are bright colors of yellow. When following the color south, there are a lot of dots that seem to have disappeared. The regions using electricity in the form of lights and regions that don't, clearly can be distinguished in this map of South Asia.
To look at more countries and regions with satellite images, go to http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~pesti/night/ or the program Google Earth by selecting Gallery under Layers, Nasa, and Earth City Lights. Top of Page
Vernacular Regions
South Asia itself can be argued as a vernacular region consisting of countries that are very similar and border each other. Inside the region of South Asia can there can also be vernacular regions. One example of a vernacular region inside South Asia are the regions in the country, India. This map has no formal boundaries but are grouped together by their similarities of their region.
Himalayan North
This region only covers the northwestern section of the Himalayas Mountain Range. The states that are in this region are Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. It is the site and the origin of many Hinduism's holy rivers, and is noticed as one of the most ancient places in the whole country.
In the past, when the British had been conquering India, they had discovered themselves "defeated" by the summers of India. Since the Himalayan North was full of hill stations, which were towns in the lower mountains with cool temperatures, many of the British had taken refuge in this area.
The Plains
This is the region in India that contains the country's capital, New Delhi. The river Ganga and Yamuna flows through this region. The states in this region are Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Madghya Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Some of the major wars and battles, and many major events in India's history took place in The Plains.
Western India
Western India comprises of three large states and two very small territories. The states are known as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, while the small territories are called Goa, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It borders Pakstan and the Arabian sea to the west and the plains to the east. This regions has the most heterogenous people in the whole country. It is also highly indsutrialized with a large urban population. The states in this regions differ from the other states in language, culture, and the "levels" of economic development. Most of this region was part of the Haratha Empire and the Mughal Empire before the colonization by the British.
Southern India
This enormous part of India, is the area that contains a strong sense of indigenous culture. It features many famous and historical temples, hill stations, beaches, cosmopolitan cities, and also tropical forests. This region contains six states and two island groups, which are known as Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, and Tamil Nadu. In this region, Lakshadweep and Andama and Nicobar are two very small island groups.From its history of numerous numbers of kingdoms ruling the region, the impact of the region's cultures had a great impact in the modern nation states such as Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Also, the region has about 83% of the population following Hinduism.
Eastern India
This region covers several states, and many tourist attractions for visitors. With the tourist attractions are the problems of overpopulation and also the breaking down of certain areas of the environment. The states in this region are Sikkim, Jiharkhand, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, and Orissa. It is bordering the Sea called Bay of Bengal and Bangledesh to the east, and Nepal and Sikkim Himalayas to the north. The states of West Bengal and Orissa share some common cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state Assam. This region was the primary historical center for the empires, Maurya, Kalinga, Utkal, Gajapati, Sunga, and Pala.
North-Eastern India
This region is also referred to as the Seven Sister States, which are separate from the country in all sides except one, which is only a 21 kilometer common border. This region is ehtnically, culturally, and also linguistically very different from the other states. This region has many attractions and can only be arrived by long distances using the plane, train or the road. To travel to the main attractions, which are the beautiful landscapes and Tea Gardens, hours by train or walking are required too visit those sites. The states in this region are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The states border Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.
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There are three different types of regions:
(taken from Regions: The Final Theme of the Five Themes in Mr. Plouffe's World Geography wikispaces page)
Formal Regions
The examples of formal regions of South Asia can be the countries and the states, provinces, zones, or the territories within those countries. These types would be right below in specifying a country by it's own borders.INDIA
India consists of twenty eight states and seven union territories. The states are called Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. The union territories are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep. National Capital Territory of Delhi, and Puducherry.Pakistan
Pakistan consists of four provinces, two administered area, one territory, and one capital territory. The four provinces are called Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Northwest Frontier. The administered areas are called Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the territory is called Federally Admistered Tribal Areas. The capital territory is called Islamabad.Nepal
Nepal has a long history of regions that have changed their names and sizes. In the 1950s, there used to be thirty-four districts, but today, there are only fourteen so called "zones," that make up Nepal. The zones are called Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, and Seti.Bangladesh
Bangladesh is divided into six administrative divisions, which is the most similar to states of the United States, which are called Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet.Bhutan
There are twenty states states that are in the country of Bhutan, which are known as Samtse, Dagana, Pema-Gatashel, Mongar, Ha, Punakha, Yang-Tse, Chuukha, Zhemgang, Samdrup Jongkhar, Trongsa, Paro, Bumthang, Gasa, Tsirang, Sarpang, Trashigang, Phodrang, Thimpu, and Lhuntse.Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, unlike many of the other countries in South Asia, has most of its provinces as names of directions. It has nine provinces that are called, Central, Eastern, North Central, Northern, Western, North Western, Sarabagamua, Southern, and Uva. Since the late 19th century, Sri Lanka had the districts, which is the subcategory of provinces coexist with each of the provinces being a group of districts. The provinces had no administrative function for the country, which may have been the reason for their names to be very basic directions.Maldives
The maldives consists of fifteen groups of islands, which are called atolls. They are called Ihavandhippolhu Atoll, Thiladhunmathi Atoll, Miladhunmadulu Atoll, Maalhosmadulu Atoll, Faadhippolhu Atoll, Male Atoll, Ari Atoll, Nilandhoo Atoll, Kolhumadulu Atoll, Huvadhu Atoll, Addu Atoll, Hadhdhunmathi Atoll, Mulaku Atoll, and also Felidhu Atoll. These names were formed from it's unique culture and language different from any other parts of the world.Top of Page
Functional Regions
An example of functional regions in South Asia can be the use of the frequency use of lights during night in each of the countries, and how much influence the large cities have in forms of electricity and lights in the surrounding regions.Lights During Night
This map shows the regions where there are the most activities with lights at night. Even though the map is about the regions that gives an output in energy by lights, the amount of electricity and the regions with the large numbers of population can be interpreted the same way. In the cities with large populations, to be able to survive in the conditions, electricity in the form of lights would be needed.From this satellite image, certain regions with a lot of lights illuminating the region can be seen. The bright colored dots mean the areas with the electrical power of lights and the areas that are dark blue are the regions with little or no electrical lights being used. Certain areas of where the use of electricity in lights is most used can be spotted in Northeast Pakistan, North India, and Southeast India. This map clearly shows the functional regions, in the idea that as people view the regions further and further away from the large yellow and white dots, the color becomes less bold. A prime example of this would be Southeast India. There seems to be many series of bright dots, with areas around it that are smaller but still with a very bold color. As the color is followed up north, the color seems to "weaken" and less bold until there is actually no yellow regions remaining in central India. This can also be found in Northeast Pakstan, where there are bright colors of yellow. When following the color south, there are a lot of dots that seem to have disappeared. The regions using electricity in the form of lights and regions that don't, clearly can be distinguished in this map of South Asia.
To look at more countries and regions with satellite images, go to http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~pesti/night/ or the program Google Earth by selecting Gallery under Layers, Nasa, and Earth City Lights.
Top of Page
Vernacular Regions
South Asia itself can be argued as a vernacular region consisting of countries that are very similar and border each other. Inside the region of South Asia can there can also be vernacular regions. One example of a vernacular region inside South Asia are the regions in the country, India. This map has no formal boundaries but are grouped together by their similarities of their region.
Himalayan North
This region only covers the northwestern section of the Himalayas Mountain Range. The states that are in this region are Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. It is the site and the origin of many Hinduism's holy rivers, and is noticed as one of the most ancient places in the whole country.In the past, when the British had been conquering India, they had discovered themselves "defeated" by the summers of India. Since the Himalayan North was full of hill stations, which were towns in the lower mountains with cool temperatures, many of the British had taken refuge in this area.
The Plains
This is the region in India that contains the country's capital, New Delhi. The river Ganga and Yamuna flows through this region. The states in this region are Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Madghya Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Some of the major wars and battles, and many major events in India's history took place in The Plains.Western India
Western India comprises of three large states and two very small territories. The states are known as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, while the small territories are called Goa, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It borders Pakstan and the Arabian sea to the west and the plains to the east. This regions has the most heterogenous people in the whole country. It is also highly indsutrialized with a large urban population. The states in this regions differ from the other states in language, culture, and the "levels" of economic development. Most of this region was part of the Haratha Empire and the Mughal Empire before the colonization by the British.Southern India
This enormous part of India, is the area that contains a strong sense of indigenous culture. It features many famous and historical temples, hill stations, beaches, cosmopolitan cities, and also tropical forests. This region contains six states and two island groups, which are known as Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, and Tamil Nadu. In this region, Lakshadweep and Andama and Nicobar are two very small island groups.From its history of numerous numbers of kingdoms ruling the region, the impact of the region's cultures had a great impact in the modern nation states such as Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Also, the region has about 83% of the population following Hinduism.Eastern India
This region covers several states, and many tourist attractions for visitors. With the tourist attractions are the problems of overpopulation and also the breaking down of certain areas of the environment. The states in this region are Sikkim, Jiharkhand, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, and Orissa. It is bordering the Sea called Bay of Bengal and Bangledesh to the east, and Nepal and Sikkim Himalayas to the north. The states of West Bengal and Orissa share some common cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state Assam. This region was the primary historical center for the empires, Maurya, Kalinga, Utkal, Gajapati, Sunga, and Pala.North-Eastern India
This region is also referred to as the Seven Sister States, which are separate from the country in all sides except one, which is only a 21 kilometer common border. This region is ehtnically, culturally, and also linguistically very different from the other states. This region has many attractions and can only be arrived by long distances using the plane, train or the road. To travel to the main attractions, which are the beautiful landscapes and Tea Gardens, hours by train or walking are required too visit those sites. The states in this region are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The states border Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.Top of Page
Works Cited
"Bhutan." Map. Bhutan Travel3. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://www.bhutantour.bt/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bhutan-map-with-districts.jpg>.
"Google Maps Nighttime!" Home—College of Computing. Georgia Institute of Technology. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. <http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~pesti/night/>.
Inas. "Bangladesh." Map. Regions in Bangladesh. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://iguide.travel/Bangladesh/Regions>.
"Indian States and Union Territories." Map. Map of Indian States and Union Territories, States and Territories of India. 2003. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/india/indiastateandunion.htm>.
Law, Gwilliam. "Nepal Regions." Statoids. 09 Sept. 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. <http://www.statoids.com/unp.html>.
Law, Gwilliam. "Pakistan Provinces." Statoids. 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. <http://www.statoids.com/upk.html>.
Law, Gwilliam. "Sri Lanka Provinces." Statoids. 18 Jan. 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. <http://www.statoids.com/ulk.html>.
"Maldives." Map. Maldives Map. Apple Holidays, 01 July 2006. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://www.apple-holidays.com/images/Maldives/Maldives_map.gif>.
Muhlberger, Steve. "Pakistan." Map. Background to today's politics in Pakistan. 2 Jan. 2008. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/MUHLBERGER/labels/Pakistan.htm>.
"Nepal Map." Map. Nepal: About Nepal. Nature Trails. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://allnepal.com/nepal/about_nepal.php>.
Rao, Ravikiran. "Regions in India - India Travel Guide - iGuide." IGuide: Interactive Travel Guide - Explore 7 Million World Places. IGuide. Web. 01 Nov. 2009. <http://iguide.travel/India/Regions>.
Sri Lanka Regions Map. Map. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://www.sercononline.com/promos/sep/fnst/images/sri_b.jpg>.
Top of Page